A person reading a book often becomes interrupted, sometimes every few pages, before that person has finished reading the book. When the reader becomes interrupted, the reader sometimes provides a marker at each page and then closes the book with the marker protruding from the book at such page. However, the reader generally prefers to maintain the book open at such page with the assurance that the book will remain open at such page. This is particularly true since page markers often become misplaced.
Many different types of apparatus have been provided in the prior art for maintaining a book open at a desired page. Such apparatus has generally had a number of different disadvantages. These have included the following:
1. The apparatus has been complicated. PA0 2. The apparatus for clamping the pages on one side of the book have generally not been independent from the apparatus for clamping the pages on the other side of the book. PA0 3. The apparatus does not provide for a stable open relationship on each side of an open book so that the reader can easily turn a page from the right side of the book to the left side of the book after the reader has finished reading the page on the right side of the book. PA0 4. The apparatus does not provide a positive clamping action against the pages on the opposite sides of the book in the open relationship of the book. PA0 5. The apparatus tends to damage the pages when it clamps the pages. PA0 6. The apparatus provides more than one (1) constraining member such as a spring.
It will be appreciated that each clamping apparatus does not have all of the disadvantages specified above. However, each clamping apparatus generally has one (1) or more of the disadvantages specified above as that such apparatus is considered undesirable by a reader.